Taking group portraits outdoors can help make sure everyone is properly lit.
Group portraits seem like easy subjects, but they can be challenging without using optimal settings. The D40's preset portrait mode works well for single-subject portraits, but it falls short when photographing a crowd because it uses larger apertures. Apertures determine how much light hits your sensor and how much of your image will be in focus. Apertures smaller than f/8 narrow your depth of field and fail to keep key portions of your image in focus.
Aperture
Dial your mode switch on the top left side of your camera to "A" for aperture priority. This will tell your camera that you will be manually setting your aperture while letting it control other key settings such as shutter speed, white balance and sensor sensitivity. Use the thumb wheel on the back, located on the top right, to change the aperture to f/8.
Shutter Speed
Shutter speed describes the amount of time your digital imaging sensor is exposed to light. Aim your camera at your subjects, and check your light meter through your viewfinder to see what shutter speed setting it has chosen to match the aperture. The shutter speed should read 1/200th of a second. Any shutter speed that is slower than 1/200 risks motion blur from your subjects or camera shake, which will cause a blurry image.
Sensor Sensitivity
Check your camera's chosen sensitivity rating, called ISO. Your camera can adjust to make its sensor more sensitive to light, allowing you to produce images in darker lighting. The sensitivity is measured in stops beginning at 200 for least sensitive and ending at 3200, which allows you to work in low light without a flash. The trade off is that higher ISO settings introduce unsightly noise into your images, making them look softer. If your camera chooses an ISO higher than 800, use a flash to supplement your lighting.
Pose Your Subjects
Work with your subjects to get the best poses. Use a short countdown to make sure everyone is posed at the time your press your shutter release to take the image. Repeat the image capture at least three times, while checking your preview screen to make sure you're getting the best possible group portrait.
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